Danny visits the kitchen to down another bottle of Migraine Go Away. He doesn't know who named it but that is exactly what it does. He sighs as he slumps over the kitchen table, grumbling, "Who wants to stare at the sun when they sleep? Stupid dreams,"

He doesn't know how it happens or why it happens, but he have been dreaming about creepy crawly places full of people sized bugs. Now, Danny is used to uncanny visions but this just take the cake. Why is he dreaming about the stupid sun? Why can't he dream about the void of space instead?

He sights, thinking that he should try to change his schedule just in case it was the reason he's having a stupidly bright dream.

"I hate the sun,"

~

The one spared is the one with no mind.

No cost too great.

No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. Born of God and Void.

~

Danny opens his eyes, his mind full of round of eggs being thrown into the Void. Twisting white roots. Needle like 'hands'. Endless weaving. Orange blobs of infections, spreading like an unstoppable plague. He killed his heart and conscience to save the many at the sacrifice of his own flesh and blood.

Hr groans, sitting up and he starts another day, "I seriously hope that I won't have to take that kind of route,"

He loves his children...but a King more often than not aren't allowed to be a good father. Not when there are people to protect, his oath given. Even if his family sees him as the villain, there are lives to protect.

Not cost too great?

Yeah, right. He only said that because it's too much. A hollow comfort to his strained mind. Because deep down inside, he knew that it was wrong. But...

There are people and kingdom to protect.

So he took the Path of Pain, tormenting himself for the sake of the many.

~

"... Soul of Wyrm. Soul of Root. Heart of Void..."

"You shall seal the blinding light that plagues their dreams. You are the Vessel. You are the Hollow Knight."

~

Seph looks at Danny as the man flies around the Infinite Realm, trying to keep the Watchers of the Abyss suppressed by his mere presence alone. He can tell that something is causing the man to itch with restlessness. His Father is a complex man, embodying love and ruthlessness in equal measure. Usually, he becomes restless whenever a piece of him returns and with it, pieces of his strongest memory of his time as something or someone else. Like a stranger in his own head.

However, he is also the most restless whenever he receives memories that disturbed him. Actions that his broken piece must have taken that does not sit well with him.

Seph joins him on a floating asteroid, "Father?"

Danny sighs, "Nothing escape you, does it, Seph?"

Seph keeps his tranquil smile on his lips, "Not when it comes to my beloved Father,"

Danny shakes his head, "I thought that I was a better man than your previous sperm donor,"

Seph frowns, "...please...share with me,"

Danny sits on the dusty rock before patting the ground beside him. Seph takes up on the invitation and sits down. After a moment of staring at the numerous strings of lights that made up the thousands of World Trees around them, he says, "I was a King...and there was an infection that I am fighting to stop. I tried fixing it with medicine. Didn't work. I tried reducing it with quarantine. Didn't work. I soon learned that my enemy isn't someone I can reach. Not as the Pale King. If I try, I might lose my mind too and the kingdom that I worked so hard to build, to bring about a nation unlike any before it, might just become nothing more than a ruin filled with mindless citizens. So I..." He trembles, grimacing in disgust, "I unite with someone known as the White Lady, a Root-like creature that propagates endlessly, and created hundreds of eggs that I..." He sobs, "I threw them into the Void, to be hollowed out of will, or mind, and of voice. To become soldiers that will fight the Radiance and protect Hallownest,"

Seph blinks. He thought about the confession carefully before realizing the core difference between Danny's actions as this 'Pale King' and that of the mad scientist that shall not be named. He points out, "Hojo didn't care about the people. He didn't care about stopping an infection or ending a plague. He didn't care about saving as many people as he could at the cost of his humanity. He wanted to create me, to 'forge' me into the ultimate and perfect being. He did all that atrocity out of a twisted desire to be the one that created 'God'," He grabs Danny's trembling fist on his knee, "You are nothing like him,"

Danny shakes his head, "I was a monster!" He looks at Seph, "What kind of Father...does that? No cost to great, I kept telling myself, knowing that I kept killing my own children for the sake of people that won't care if I live or die! And worse of all, I just know I failed in the end!" He cries, "I failed..."

Seph stares at him before pulling him against his side. He insists, "Even so, you were a King. I know of kings that would gather his family and run while his people starve and die on the street. Saving himself and his own while the people that he had promised to protect are left to fend for themselves. You might not be the greatest, but you tried,"

"At what cost, Seph? Your siblings...I destroyed them..."

Seph nods, "And you mourned them. You loved them, even when you cannot keep them. A twisted manner of love, yes, but you loved them,"

Danny shakes his head, "Never let me be more King than man, Seph. Promise me that,"

Seph doesn't think he needs to promise that but he nods either way, "I promise,"

~

It's dark, Danny thinks. He's sitting on a throne, surrounded by nothing but a crumbling white palace's court. He's aware that he's already dead. Erased, perhaps, chased away from the kingdom he failed. He sighs, thinking about the knights that served him and the people that believed in him.

He was feverish as he tried to fight back against an enemy that believed him a usurper for broadening the mind of his people. People that no longer mindlessly follow their instinct but are capable of higher critical thinking. She didn't like that. She wanted them to remain obedience, subservient, and primitive. His arrival changed this, changed them, forcing her to a corner of history, almost forgotten by all but the most reverent.

A sound causes the Pale King's ghost to look up and see a white face with black eyes peeking into the room he 'died' in. His heart leaps to his throat as the child approaches his corpse. Although he had sealed the path to the Void, this little one must have discovered a path out. Pale face, as white as ivory, stares blankly at his corpse. Black body, liquid-like yet firm, almost gelatinous in appearance, reveals itself under the tattered ash colored cloak worn by travel and battle. Black hands reach for his throne and before the Pale King knows it, the child is sitting on his dried lap.

He snorts at the sight, ignoring how his own 'head' falls off to roll by the feet of his throne.

Something falls out from the fold of his pale robe, causing the child to look down. It steps down and picks up the token. The Pale King watch as the Voidling left the castle of dream...praying for their success.

~

It's bright, Danny thinks. He looks up to see the big ass Moth shrieking in the distance. He looks down to see the Voidling from before. Although he knows that this one is the purest void, being able to get this far, he cannot help but be fond. Not because it is doing that one thing that Danny as the Pale King cannot, but because it is his.

Seph was right; he loves them.

Each every child that he cannot help but treat like expendable assets, he loves them all.

He watch as the Voidling keeps climbing higher and higher, wings like the Pale King's flaring behind it as it flies up and up, closer to the Radiance. Along with him, the Void climbs higher and higher. Only then did Danny notice...that the Void is familiar to him.

He snorts. It seems that a piece of him had ended up in the Void, giving it will and sentience, at a time older than when he arrives in this world as the Wyrm. One bond with the Void beneath and the other reborn as one of this world's citizens. While one was born with a mind able to bond with others and rule, the other are nothing more than pure will and instinct capable of focusing on a purpose.

The Radiance screams as the Voidling takes her down for good...

~

Loki looks up when Phantom Keep suddenly become surrounded by what looks like black inks. Upon looking closer, it isn't ink but rather...

"Father?"

~

Mal looks up from his latest botany project; a pretty white flower with ten glowing white petals with velvety grey blue stem and leaves. As darkness cocoons the Keep, dimming the light, the flower brightens as the sole light in the room he's in.

"Another piece of Father have returned,"

~

Minato pauses as the Keep quakes, catching his ink bottle before it can topple of his latest Seal experiment. He puts his things away and steps out of the library to witness the living shadow creating a barrier all around his home. He wonders what this is about and quickly seeks out Danny.

"I hope this is not an enemy,"

~

Harry blinks as blots of ink appears on his parchment, ruining his homework. But poking at the growing stain with his quills in wary curiosity shows that it isn't really ink as he cannot interact with him. He puts his homework aside and looks at the ceiling of Gryffindor's Common Room.

"I don't know what's going on back home but I hope everyone's alright,"

~

Seph stands on the tallest turret of the Keep, green eyes watching the growing darkness. He can feel that despite his wariness, there is also a familiar fondness. He looks over to see Danny coming out of his office and greeting the mass of Void before him. Minato, Loki, and Mal joins him on the roof as they watch Danny deals with this new curiosity.

Minato asks, "It isn't some kind of enemy, is it?"

Loki shakes his head, "You can't feel it?"

Mal hums, "I think this is the discrepancy between Father's children that were directly conceived by him and those conceived by pieces of him. Minato cannot sense Father as well as we do,"

Minato frowns, "Wait. You mean...?"

Seph nods, "Yes. It is a piece of Father that have returned,"

Minato looks at the darkness, "What is it? It looks like shadows but..."

Seph smiles, "Our newest siblings. Father mentioned about this to me once. He hated what that piece of him had done. Still, these are them. Oh, apparently they aren't 'born' with a gender in mind so...what do you suggest we refer to them? And none of the pronouns nonsense. I dislike the headache that come with. It is either he or she,"

Loki frowns, "Why do you have beef with pronouns?"

Minato sighs, "Loki...have you ever done administrative work before? It is easier when it is just he or she. If they start referring to themselves as they, I would mistake them for being possessed by a legion of demons or something. They or them would suggest more than one person. But it is just too demeaning, apparently. They should do their own paperwork if they want to use their so called gender neutral pronouns," He grumbles, "I mean, where will they go when they need to be placed under certain places with separate genders facilities like the hospital or the prison? We can't exactly put them in the wrong place because rape is a very high probability and we will be the one thrown into the fire for putting them there in the first place,"

Seph nods along, "Precisely. Just stick to either he or she. Those doing administrative work does not wish for such a headache because the consequences are just not worth their very livelihood,"

Loki raises his hands, "Alright. He or she. I get it,"

Mal chuckles, "Just ask them what gender they want to be,"

"...good idea,"

~

Danny focuses his will on the hundreds of Voidlings before him.

He can feel their attention, their glowing eyes on him. Waiting. His expression softens as he sends his thought to them, [You're free]

A tall shadow appears, white eyes searching as it draws near.

[Father?]

The muted roaring of the Void silenced at that and Danny smiles, allowing the piece of him that was the well-meaning yet cold Pale King appear to the surface. He also allowed the echo of the Void within him to resonate with the Voidlings.

It starts almost like a distant wave crashing to the shores. Then it grows louder as they all starts calling out to him. They want him, they want to be with him.

[Father]

[Don't forget us]

[Father]

[Don't leave us]

[Don't hate us]

[Don't throw us away]

[Don't lock us away]

[Father]

[Father]

[Father]

[Father]

Danny lets out a watery laugh, "I didn't hate you. I'm sorry. I was more King than Father then. I know...that what I did was cruel beyond measure," He bows his head, "That Path of Pain that I once took...I should have taken it alone instead of putting you all through it. You don't have to forgive me. It is in your right to hate me for what I have done to you,"

[Father...]

Danny looks up to see the largest of them reaching towards him. He recognize the silhouette and allows the black claws to touch him, [Hollow...my Son]

Hollow, the so called Pure Vessel, the first Voidling to reach him. He had tainted his purpose with love. Although it hurts that love for his child and their complicated both as father and son were taken advantage of by the Radiance to harm him, Danny cannot find it in him to regret it.

[Father...]

Danny smiles, touching Hollow for the first time since locking him up for a futile purpose, [I do...care...though I always said that no cost is too great...I lied. The days I locked you up...was the last time I saw the light of the city. The last time I saw Hallownest. After all...I deserve that imprisonment myself]

He did...locked himself up in the Pale Court. Too ashamed of the things he had done. So much so that he erased himself from Hallownest the moment the seal failed.

Still, he bows his head, [I'm sorry. I do not deserve to call you my children]

Hollow stares at him. Then, he moves to wrap his long arms and tendrils around him and pulls him...into a hug. Danny blinks at the action. Then, slowly, the rest of Voidlings join them, stretching their arms to hug him. Tears fall down from his eyes and he allows himself this comfort and forgiveness.

It was a harsh journey for all of them...but he loves them and they understood him.

~

The Voidlings are curious little creatures. They don't have voices like the others but they are malleable. Within the few days that they are there, they transformed from looking like kids sized bugs, or a tall adult in Hollow's case, and their white shell of a head transformed into actual faces with a proper nose and lips. Though their bodies are still completely black with carapace-like shells, resembling armors. Only their head, including their hair, horn, and skin are white. However, despite having a mouth, they are still unable to speak or use their voice.

The smaller Voidlings tend to follow the other around the Keep while the older ones will wander around, having their own adventure. Of course, whenever they managed to get into trouble with some of the other hostile locals, one of the other Phantoms will be quick to come to their rescue or defend them.

Especially Danny.

He still carries a hefty amount of guilt from his time as the Pale King. He spends some times trying to name as 30,000 of them but when he realize that they could hardly care what they are called, he ends up calling them with nicknames more than an actual name. If they like it, they will own it. And it doesn't even have to be from him either. The others can go around 'naming' them too. A few even answer to the same 'name'.

It is unconventional but they are not ordinary children.

Still, Seph seems to enjoy having Hollow follow him around following Danny with his work. Although Danny wondered about the Voidling that succeeded where he failed...

~

"I saved them...now...take care of our siblings and children..."

~

Danny wakes up in a shock before he ends up laughing. Of course. Of course he won't just leave it like that! They are his responsibilities. He just realized where the Pale King had gone and what 'erased' in this matter really meant, "I was the Little Ghost of Hallownest all along..."